Concorde ?

[stilton]

I have read in a couple of publications that Concorde was used as an 'interception target' several times by the RAF.

Very interesting.

Anyone have any more info on these flights and the kind of profiles flown ?

[jed_thrust]

I wasn't in the RAF, but we often would lock up our IR missiles on it as it decelerated from the west.

The heat it generated was impressive because the missile head could "see" it from a very significantly greater distance than the missile could fly...

[DownIn3Green]

Many times while flying for Baltic International (out of Riga, Latvia) on our FRA turnarounds, ATC would ask if we would agree to be "intercepted"...

I can't remember which country or which A/F, but they never came closer than 1 mile and/or 500'...

It's the same as accepting a "PAR" (in the old days) approach for "controller" training...

I see nothing wrong with this...

Of course it was always VMC...

[kick the tires]

jed, most IR missiles will acquire a suitable heat source well outside the design flight envelope esp when there is little background interference, i.e. a high flying target. Even a subsonic aircraft will allow the AIM series to detect in such situations.

I'm only familiar with the 9L but we often had to delay the trigger until it was inside the envelope, be it head, side or tail.

Ah yes, the good old days of getting airborne and asking the fighter controllers to look for any 'embellished' targets. Happy days!

[jed_thrust]

Kick the tires: I realise that

most IR missiles will acquire a suitable heat source well outside the design flight envelope

I was trying to be subtle!